A week after firing Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots officially announced Mike Vrabel as their new head coach.
All signs pointed to the hiring the moment the news of Mayo’s firing hit. That speculation was amped up even further when the team started hosting interviews a couple of days later. The Patriots moved like a team that had a sense of direction and purpose.
Basically, they already had a plan and knew exactly what they were doing.
That plan landed them the top candidate in this year’s head coaching cycle. Vrabel probably could have chosen any team and situation, and he ultimately decided to come back to New England. There’s obviously a nostalgia factor to coach at the same place he won three Super Bowls with as a player.
But there’s also the fact that the Patriots already have a young potential star quarterback in place, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft and a projected $133 million in salary cap space heading into the offseason.
Here’s how the NFL world reacted to the news: